cambridge after a gap year! how does it look to admissions staff?

Hi,
I'm in year 12 and i just sat my mocks, and obviously they weren't the predicted grades that cambridge would want but i am 100% sure that for my real a levels i can get the grades that i want to do history and politics. In my school these are the second mocks we've taken this year with earlier ones in january. I have improved massively in these mocks and gone up 3 grades in sociology, 2 in politics and 1 in history, and i had a very bad chest infection which meant i could only come in for exams and the invigilators sent me home early because my coughing was so disruptive in january! However, i don't think i will be able to apply for cambridge in October, as in my school we have mocks but they're in late september / early october and will not be marked until late october. Furthermore, if you failed 2 sets of mocks, in my school they make you take re-takes but you aren't able to voluntarily take them. How would it look if i applied after a gap year and had the grades to go to Cambridge. Furthermore, would it disadvantage me at all if i didn't go to university and applied regardless or would you recommend i go to a different university and still apple to start after a year on another course? how much would taking a gap year affect me?

Reply 1

melancollege

17

As a Cambridge student who applied in their gap year, it's completely fine and many people take this route. However, I think you have it slightly the wrong way round in that it would disadvantage your application to go to another university as Cambridge rarely accept transfers.

Reply 2

thegeek888

18

Original post by Anonymous

Hi,
I'm in year 12 and i just sat my mocks, and obviously they weren't the predicted grades that cambridge would want but i am 100% sure that for my real a levels i can get the grades that i want to do history and politics. In my school these are the second mocks we've taken this year with earlier ones in january. I have improved massively in these mocks and gone up 3 grades in sociology, 2 in politics and 1 in history, and i had a very bad chest infection which meant i could only come in for exams and the invigilators sent me home early because my coughing was so disruptive in january! However, i don't think i will be able to apply for cambridge in October, as in my school we have mocks but they're in late september / early october and will not be marked until late october. Furthermore, if you failed 2 sets of mocks, in my school they make you take re-takes but you aren't able to voluntarily take them. How would it look if i applied after a gap year and had the grades to go to Cambridge. Furthermore, would it disadvantage me at all if i didn't go to university and applied regardless or would you recommend i go to a different university and still apple to start after a year on another course? how much would taking a gap year affect me?

What are you likely to achieve in Sociology? History? Politics? If it is A*AA, then you should take a gap year and apply to Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS. :wink:

Reply 3

melancollege

17

Original post by thegeek888

What are you likely to achieve in Sociology? History? Politics? If it is A*AA, then you should take a gap year and apply to Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS. :wink:

Why the other universities?